Wall panel suspending device



Aug. 26, 1969 M. GRECO WALL PANEL SUSPENDING DEViCE Filed May 1'7, 1968 United States Patent 3,462,792 WALL PANEL SUSPENDING DEVICE Michael Green, 14 Woodlands Lane, White Plains, N.Y. 10607 Filed May 17, 1968, Ser. No. 730,048 Int. Cl. E05d 15/06 U.S. CI. 16-88 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a device for moving suspendedly a wall panel from a longitudinal ceiling track, said device being adapted to effectuate a selective rotation of said panel to permit storage at a right angle to said track. The device comprises a plurality of captively held balls disposed in a circular manner and adapted to engage said ceiling track.

This invention is concerned with suspended wall panels used to form room dividers. These panels are suspended from the top edge thereof by a pair of rollable suspending devices disclosed in detail hereinafter. These devices are secured to the top edge of the panels adjacent each vertical edge thereof and are captively disposed in a longitudinal track of rectangular cross section having a slot in the bottom wall of the track to permit passage of a suspending bolt from each device to the wall panel. The rollable device comprises a plurality of suitably large captively held freely movable balls held in an assembly disposed about said bolt to permit movement of the device in the track. The assembly comprises a plate having a central non-threaded bolt receiving aperture and a plurality of threaded apertures circumferentially disposed thereabout. The balls are each captively held in individual cells that are removably secured to the threaded apertures of said plate.

The hardware used for suspending wall panels from ceiling tracks to permit dividing of one room into two or more is varied in the art. This metal hardware is often complex and cumbersome.

It is an objective of this invention to provide a movable wall suspending device having captively held balls adapted to produce longitudinal movement in the ceiling track and adapted also to permit rotation of said panel for storage positioning at a right angle to said track.

It is another objective to produce a jam proof device for effecting a moving suspension of linearly disposed wall panels in a ceiling track and to selectively permit rotation of said panels into parallel storage relationship at either end of said track or at either side of said track.

These and other objectives of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure of an illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a section view of the ball containing wall panel suspending device disposed in a ceiling track and secured adjacent to an edge of said panel, and

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the ball device in said track and the manner of circumferentially disposing the plurality of captively held load bearing roller balls.

Turning to the drawing, a substantially square shaped longitudinal ceiling track is provided with a suitably narrow linear slot 11 to permit passage of a long suspending bolt 12 adapted to suspend a wall panel at one end of the top panel edge. Two of said bolts are employed for each panel, one at each end of said top edge.

The track 10 is disposed in the ceiling 13 and is held to the building framework 14 by use of longitudinal L- shaped bar 15 which may be welded or otherwise secured thereto. A plurality of conventional padding laminations 15X are disposed between the bar and the track 10 to absorb noise vibrations of the panel 16 rolling on the opposed ledges 17 of said track.

A nut and bolt assembly 18 in suitably spaced apart relationship is used to attach the track 10 to the support bar 15.

A very important feature of this invention is the provision of a novel mechanism to permit linear movement of a plurality of panels 16 in slot 11 and at will to effect a parallel or storage disposition of said panels by a rotation thereof of ninety degrees. Thus the panels may be stored at either end of the ceiling track, or at either side of said track. Thus this device has a universality of use, mobility never before attained by panel hardware.

According to this invention, a circular plate 20 having a plurality of equally spaced apart threaded apertures, five in the illustrative embodiment here, is provided. The plate 20 is of a diameter adapted to move in track 10 with sufficient wall clearance. Also the plate 20 is provided with a centrally disposed non-threaded aperture in which threaded bolt 12 is disposed.

A plurality of five sufficiently large diameter balls 22 are disposed captively in tubular cells 23 of cylindrical stubby configuration. These cells 23 are each provided at one depending end with a truncated conical portion 24 having an aperture of a diameter less than that of the ball 22. Thus the balls 22 protrude from but can not fall out of the cell 23 aperture at the truncated end. The top opening of the cells 23 are of a diameter to admit a ball 22.

The balls 22 are dropped into each cell 23 and are captively held therein with a portion of the ball protruding from the truncated end 24 by use of a retaining disc 25 and a bolt 26 which contacts the ball. Thus the top opening of each cell is press fit closed with an insert or circular disc 25, having a centrally disposed threaded aperture therein for receiving a set screw bolt 26. The ball 22 engages the fiat bottom surface of bolt 26 threadingly disposed in said disc 25 in a rolling manner at its top portion, so that the load or weight of the panel 16 is transferred to these bolts 26 and indirectly to discs 25.

The assembled cells 23 having a ball 22 indirectly retained by a disc 25 are secured to threaded apertures (FIG. 1) on plate 20 by use of said set screws 26.

A ball bearing ring assembly 30 is disposed between a top racer 31 and a bottom racer 32 located below the bolt head 12X. The ball bearing combination is disposed upon plate 20 with the bottom racer firmly engaging said plate to permit rotation of the panel against the ring assembly 30.

The bolt 12 is disposed in a threaded aperture in a metal block 33 secured in the top edge of a wall panel 16. A nut 34 is used to lock bolt 12 to block 33 so that rotation of panel '16 is effected by ring assembly 30 coacting with balls 22.

The panels optionally may be provided with brush pads 35 at their top edge to keep out dust from the ball area and for suppression of noise.

The above described illustrative embodiment is an example of the use of a single ball bearing unit as used on wall panels in conjunction with conventional floor tracks.

Another and important use of this invention is where the individual wall panels are fully suspended by two ball bearing units, one at each end of the top edge of said panels. In such cases, there is no use of floor tracks, and storage of the panels is done by rolling the fully suspended panels around a suitably curved bend located at the storage end of ceiling track 10.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for moving and storing room divider wall panels and adapted to engage opposed spaced-apart ledges of a linear ceiling track comprising a plate having a cen- 3 tral non-threaded aperture and a plurality of threaded apertures circumferentially disposed thereabout; a plurality of tubular cells each having a cylindrical bore removably disposed about said plate non-threaded aperture and dependingly secured to said threaded apertures, each of said cells having a truncated conical end portion of a diameter less than that of said bore; a ball of suitable diameter firmly and captively retained in each of said cells with a portion thereof suitably protruding from said conical portion; a disc having a threaded aperture press fitted in said bore above said ball; screw means securing said threaded apertures of said plate to said threaded apertures of said discs and engaging said balls; bolt means for securing said plate to a wall panel and roller bearing means disposed upon said plate and engaging said bolt means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 575,771 1/1897 Sumner 16-98 X 1,931,796 10/1933 Hoffman 16-98 2,146,289 2/1939 Doyle 105-153 2,184,860 12/1939 Barrett 105-155 3,253,552 5/1966 Stein 104-94 DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

